Sage CRM for AndroidTM beta - Deployment Guide

We're thrilled to announce that Sage CRM for Android™ beta component has been launched today - available to download from here. The growth of the Android smart-phone has been phenomenal, so we're very happy to be able provide a look & feel for Sage CRM v7.1 that supports this. This is a quick guide that shows a system administrator how to deploy this component to their installation of Sage CRM v7.1 or later - this is also available as a PDF in the component itself.

Update: This component has been included as a core feature in 7.1 F, so there is no need to download and install this component if you are on the latest version of Sage CRM.

Introduction

Sage CRM is able to display different interfaces to different mobile device types based on their User Agent. A User Agent is a string of text that identifies the exact version of the browser and Operating System on the device. Sage CRM stores a list of devices that different User Agents can map to. See our “Wireless Mobile Guide” documentation for more information.

This component installs a new device/theme to Sage CRM called “Android”. This device links to a new XSL file that renders a new mobile theme specifically for Android smartphones.

This new theme is based on the Sage CRM for iPhone™ theme that was launched as a core feature in Sage CRM v7.1.

Requirements

Access from an Android smartphone to the new Sage CRM for Android™ beta theme requires Sage CRM v7.1 or later release with the mobile option included in the license key.

Sample Screenshots

Installation Details

As the component maps all existing Android user agents that have previously accessed CRM to the new Android theme, it is advisable that any users browse to Sage CRM before the installation. This will mean that the administrator will not have to map the user agents to the new theme manually afterwards. This will not apply to Android user agents that have been mapped to another device.

Installing

Go to: “administration | customisation |
component manager”

Click on the “Browse” button and select the
component file on your computer (AndroidComponent.zip).

Click “Upload new component”. The Android
component will appear in the “Available Components” box.

Click on the component name and click the
“Install Component” button. The terms and conditions will be displayed.

The installation process will begin and the
progress printed to the screen:

You can see the new device by clicking
“Advanced Customisation” on the left hand menu and clicking the “devices” icon:

Any Android agents that have already
browsed to CRM will be mapped to the Android device. Click on the “Android”
link to confirm:

Post Installation Tasks/Configuration

Read-only entities:

Companies, People, Cases, Opportunities and
Leads can all be made read-only if desired. You may wish to do this if you have
some workflow on an entity that might be affected by an update from a mobile
device. If you wish to make these entities read-only, then open the following
JavaScript file using Notepad or a similar text editor:

<CRM Installation Folder>\wwwroot\smartphone\SageiPhone.js

At the top of the page, you will see this following section – update the values accordingly. The accepted values are "true" or "false"

/**************************************
* Start Configurable Section
/*************************************/
// set to false if you do not want users to be able to change opportunities
var updateOpportunities = true;
// set to false if you do not want users to be able to change cases
var updateCases = true;
// set to false if you do not want users to be able to change leads
var updateLeads = false;
// set to false if you do not want users to be able to change companies
var updateCompanies = true;
// set to false if you do not want users to be able to change people
var updatePeople = true;
/**************************************
* End Configurable Section
/*************************************/

Mapping User Agents

If a user browses to CRM with an Android smartphone after the installation, then they will not see the new Android theme unless their User Agent has already been mapped to the Android device. If it hasn’t been mapped, then the CRM administrator must map the device manually.

To do this, go to “administration | advanced customisation | devices”

Click “View unassigned user agents” button

From the left hand menu select any user agents that contain the word “Android”. On the right hand menu select the “Android” device. Click Save. Repeat this step for each appropriate device.

Translations

This component does not contain any text
that needs to be translated, as it uses the same captions as the “Sage CRM for
iPhone” feature.

How to Access Sage CRM from a smart-phone

The CRM installation will either have to be
externally accessible or on a VPN that the user can access. The URL for CRM on
the Android will be the same as from Internet Explorer on a desktop. Please see
the user guide for more information.

Trouble Shooting

Problem: Androidtheme is not
displayed on an Android device.Solution: Ensure that the User Agent for the Android is correctly mapped to
the Android device in CRM. The User Agent might either be unassigned to a
device, or assigned to a different device. See our “wireless mobile guide” for
more information.

Problem: Devices link is not available in Advanced Customisation area.Solution: The mobile license for Sage CRM is not installed. Contact your
Business Partner to enquire about obtaining a license key with the mobile
option.

Problem: Androidtheme is not
displayed when CRM is accessed through a link on the home screen.Solution: The Android sends a different user agent when a link is accessed
from the home screen. Check the Unassigned User Agents for a new Android user
agent, and map it to the Android device.

Problem: Android can’t locate CRM webserver.Solution: Ensure that the CRM installation is either publicly accessible or
that the Android is connecting to a VPN that can access the CRM installation.

Problem: Defaultlogon screen displayed instead of the Android one.Solution: CRM Metadata has not been loaded yet (e.g. due to IISReset). Log in
and the Android theme will be displayed as expected.

List of new files and captions & Uninstalling the component

This is detailed in the deployment guide PDF that has been included in the component.

This user agent is correctly mapped to the Android theme as it appeared in my list of unassigned user agents. However, I still cannot get the default user agent to appear in the list, meaning I cannot map my device to the theme without using the aforementioned "Request Desktop Site" option

The default user agent for the Chrome browser on my device is too long. When I manually paste it into the add user agent field, the end of the user agent string is cut off. I assume this is why it doesn't appear in the Unassigned User Agents